The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-02-11

great longing blue eyes, and Dennis's
black eyebrows, and every day he grew
dearer aud dearer, and more inexpressi-
bly dear, and said TO myself that, much
as | missed poor Louie, here had been
made up to me all l had failed Of in nv
life; for this child was TO take she place
to me of mother and sister and husband
and child altogether. And the dearer
he grew, the more angry became with
Dennis for his indifference; and one day,
when the boy was about four months
old, said:
i think you had better let old Nancy
come in again and do your chores, the way
she used 10 do, and l will go away and
take the baby
Take the babyl"
Certainly said. ''You can't bear
the sight of him, and love him. And
then if ever yol marry again.
81 shall never marry again, he said,
the gloom settling in his eyes.
Il don't believe you willln l ex-
claimed. II don't believe there's the
woman living who will ever take such
an unnatural, wicked father, for her hus-
band Louic's own child. too, and the
very image Of her. wonder what she'd
think of youln And snatched the baby
llIarOutof the cradlsl aS' OUT CRYING be-
I fore his face
The next afternoon whea Dennis came
in from his work. he went and made
himself all nice, and changed his clothes,
and came down to where l stood in the
side-door with the baby in my arms
looking at the sunset. And he stopped
( TO take the child and the little darling
turred, with a low, frightened cry, and
hid his face in my neck. And tn n. all
at once the tears that hadn't seen Den
mis- cry in all this time, gushed out, and
he put his arms around the child, who
began to scream with terror; and as l
half turned and maintained my own hold,
he took him forcibly away from me.
"Let go!' he said, in his low half
smothered tone. '.lies my childIp
81 suppose he is ~ cried. 'By some
wicked form of law, the cruel law that
men made for men. But you don't de-
serve him.
never was so angry. l thought I
would take my things and go away that
moment. But how could | leave the
babyl His little screams were torturing
me then. SIT down on the door stone,
and flung my apron over my head, and
put my thumbs in my ears, and wished
the baby and l were dead along with
Louie.
Perhaps it was an hour aftcrward
when Hooked up, and there was Dennis
coming through the orchard with the
baby, and the boy was growing and
jumping and catching at the bending
boughs, AMI catching at his fathers
great mustache, and rubbing his little
wet lips all over Dennis's face. chirrup-
ing and joyous; and couldn't help It,
l ran to meet them.
"You see," said Dennis, as he let me
have him back, blood is thicker than
water, after ALL"
OH what long journey felt as if
that baby had been on as took him and
could hardly have done kissing him
come, " said Dennis, laughing,
''leave someth ng Of him for me y
II was the first time he had laughed
since that child WIS born. And the dar-
ling had gone long journey journey
INTO the infinite depths of fathers
heart
We'll. after that. Dennis couldn't get
home carly enough in the afternoon, and
it seemed as if he hated to go away In
the morning, and Sundays he had the
baby in his arms from morning till night.
And in the evenings, when | sat sewing
on the little clothes. he would come and
sit opposite, or where he could see how
the work went on; and he brought home
all sorts of little. impossible toys, and
he talked and sang to him, and walked
with him; and the baby began to look
out for his coming as much as did And
all that, of course, helped me good deal
in my work about the hou e. for | kept
everything as fine and orderly as honey
comb; only, with the baby 10 tend and
see to, sometimes had 10 sit up nights
&c do it.
81 shsIi call HIM Louie, for his
mother" said Dennis, o2s night.
''Do you think you can bear iti' l
asked.
80 hear him called Louici Yes. He
is Louie over again, said Dennis
And l couldn't tell you how pleasant
life grew to be as we watched the child
grow, unfolding like a rose. There was f
alb olutely sort of rivalry between US
presently as to who should discover his
first tooth. When he took his first step,
it was between Deunis's arms and mine,
as we both sat on the floor. And when (
he spoke his first " 1rd, how we listened
to learn if it were ennis's name or mine.
The day wasn't long enough for US t.
watch his dear loneliness in. And | think
Dennis was envious of me for having
him nights; but he couldn't help that.
So time went on; and thought then
it would not be easy TO say how We could
be happier; for even the memory of Louie
was softened into something that was
hardly gEief to us in our love of her
boy, though sometimes l used to wonder
if the little fellow that went with her
was as sweet as the one that stayed
with US.
But when the dear child was about
three years old there came snake into
Eden. A snakel Awhole nest of them
1t seemed as if every girl in the whole
village had Just found out what a rare
and charming person | WAS, and how
pleasant Il was late afternoons up where
l lived, and how nice it was to run up
evenings TO see me And sometimes
bNlllAo .hOIlO lldfS ~ ~ NUM- WIN
them then; and sometimes he wouldn't,
but just went Gus the other way, and
never came home till they'd gone; and
somehow one thing was almost as I'M
leassnt as the other, and couldn't say
why it worried mel only knew it did
And used TO take the boy and go off
by myself and cry. For. of course,
sooner or later, Dennis would marry some
one of those terrible girls; he couldn't
help himself; they wouldn't let him help
himself; it would come about after
awhile as naturally as water runs down
hill
And then there would be stepmother
for my boy, and Heaven alone knew what
would become of him. And what would
become of met
And by this gave out completely. l
should have to 90 away. l should see
rennis no more. No more of that dear
voice aud presence, and CHEEKY way of
his. And all at once it came over me
in a fash o; horror and Shame what was
the matter with me; and then felt that,
happen what would, l really must GO